Sensing trouble before it happens
In January, 2016 we wrote on this site a blog: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Really?
Yes there’s a saying: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
However, one of our underlying breeding principles is fixing your bloodlines while it is not yet broke. We believe that waiting for them to get broke will be too late. We have logical reasons why you might need to improve a good bloodline even if it ain’t broke yet. At RB Sugbo we try to improve our bloodlines while they are still at their prime, not when they are already on the decline.
A mainstay bloodline of ours is still winning a lot, in the current season. But we noted a fault. It is winning a lot more fights than it loses. Indeed, it helped us off to a very good start. We registered three championships in the first three derbies of the season. But the wins take longer time than average. The winning time is slow. Some suspected it could be the knife-tying. But, as breeder, we will not accept a convenient excuse.
The line is still winning because of speed, smarts, gameness and endurance. But the slow killing time points to less desirable cutting ability.
Thus, this early in both the stag fighting season and this year’s mating period we already have in the breeding pens some corrective matings. We would not wait till the stag season is over and the final tally is in. The first samplings were enough for us to make a decision.
What if the cause is not less desirable cutting? Well no harm in trying to improve cutting even if there is nothing wrong with it. It is still in line with our principle of fixing bloodlines even before they are broke.
Same thing happened, in 2014-2015 RB Sugbo bloodlines, propelled Jimmy Camposano to the Breeder of the Year awards of both the Federation of International Gamefowl Breeders Association (FIGBA formerly NFGB) and the Eastern Visayas Gamefowl Breeders Association (EVGBA). Yet, in 2015 we came up lines designed as improvement to these winning bloodlines. We were correct in our decision. These improvements won lots more.
One reason for fixing our bloodlines while they are still performing well is that the competition keeps on improving. The more compelling reason is that in improving bloodlines you will have to use individuals belonging to these bloodlines as breeders, therefore, when fixing while the bloodline is still good you will then be using as brood fowls individuals that are still good. If you wait till a particular bloodline has already deteriorated, then you will be using as breeders individuals that are then less desirable.
We noted that the common mistake that unmade successful breeders was that they acted too late. They tried to fix their bloodline when it was already beyond repair. Why not be dynamic and always try to improve even your best. Fix it before it’s broke.
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